Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Explained

Construction sites are hazardous. Think large machinery. Think loud noises. Think falling objects. It’s why we (along with most other commercial builders across Australia) prioritise occupational health and safety.

We all deserve to go home to our friends and families unharmed.

Safety incidents aren’t exclusive to Melbourne, Victorian, or Australian construction sites. There are thousands of incidents across the globe that have resulted in construction workers being harmed or ending up in near-fatal incidents. And so, it becomes imperative that minimum safety measures are in place to ensure that everyone is protected while on a construction site.

In this article, we’ll explore one of the many ways to control the risks in the workplace: Personal Protective Equipment or PPE for short. While it’s often the last defence in the hierarchy of control, it is nonetheless crucial that all commercial builders in Melbourne, Australia, or otherwise, adopt some form of PPE on site.

The Hierarchy of Control

Most commercial builders will be familiar with the hierarchy of control. It’s often covered in safety documents like Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS). Now we could try and muster up our own definition of the hierarchy of control or go straight to the experts. Here’s WorkSafe Victoria’s definition:  

The hierarchy of control is a system for controlling risks in the workplace. The hierarchy of control is a step-by-step approach to eliminating or reducing risks and it ranks risk controls from the highest level of protection and reliability through to the lowest and least reliable protection.

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We’ll cover the hierarchy of control in another article. Still, for this article, you should note that PPE is often the last resort after implementing other risk control measures, such as eliminating the risk altogether or substituting the risk for another one. Why? It’s because we’re all human. And we might forget to wear gloves or bring our hardhat to work. So, it requires both trust in your workforce and active supervision.

Nevertheless, it is often the case that most commercial builders in Australia will implement rigorous requirements for wearing PPE on construction sites. And, of course, it is relatively easy to ask visitors and contractors who traverse or access a construction site to wear PPE. (Even if we’re human!)

What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

So what’s PPE? Safe Work Australia describes PPE as “anything used or worn by a worker to assist to reduce health and safety risks.”

But you should be aware that PPE is not just worn by workers. It’s usually worn by anyone who visits a construction site. So whether operating machinery or merely signing off hold points, anyone who accesses a site should wear the PPE (usually) displayed on signage at the entrance to a construction site in Australia. 

What are the types of PPE?

PPE includes several things like hard hats, gloves, high-visibility clothing, safety glasses, safety boots, and earplugs. Oh, and in Australia, where our UV radiation levels are extremely high, even sunscreen is a form of PPE. 

You can go further and separate PPE into two categories:

Minimum PPE

Think of these as must-haves for every individual on a construction site, regardless of what they’re doing. However, again, it’s important to note that this list will vary depending on the risks, the activity, and the location. Usually, minimum PPE will include: 

• hard hats or helmets (for falling objects); 
• safety glasses (for dust and flying objects);
• gloves (for cuts and abrasions);
• high-visibility clothing (for visibility—especially at night); and
• site-appropriate clothing (the more covered bits, the more you’re protected).

Additional PPE

Think of these as task-specific PPE. For example, performing grinding, welding, or cutting, you might need double face protection—safety glasses and a face shield. Or, if you’re spraying shotcrete, you’ll definitely need respiratory protection, so you don’t inhale anything nasty.

Get in Touch

Whether it’s construction in Victoria, Australia or around the globe, construction sites are risky business. It’s why we’ve made safety our priority at Izza Group. If you’d like experienced commercial builders locally and nationally, don’t hesitate to contact us.